FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT TEA - PAGE 4

Ashwani Gujral, Fund Manager, Ashwanigujral.com, lists his top stock picks. ET Now: Your take on Bombay Burmah ? Ashwani Gujral: Tea is coming back into flavour but probably the best stock out there remains Tata Global. Bombay Burma is not a consistent performer so if you have to be with tea, Mcleod Russel and Tata Global are much better stocks.

MUMBAI: In a bid to boost sales, FMCG major Hindustan Lever (HLL) and PepsiCo have formed an alliance to sell and distribute Lipton ready-to-drink (RTD) tea and tea-based beverages in India. The agreement, signed on Friday between HLL's largest selling tea brand Lipton and Pepsi, would target a national presence building on the soft drink major's market leadership in the country, HLL said in a release here. The companies are developing and testing a slew of products for launching into the Indian market, it said, adding, iced tea flavours, green tea, herbal tea and diet tea are some of the products in the offing.

BANGALORE: The 111-year-old United Planters' Association of Southern India has requested Union commerce minister to stop an ongoing shipment of tea to Libya if the quality is found to be sub-standard and not of Indian origin. Upasi president Anil Bhandari has written to Union commerce minister Kamal Nath, pointing out that "if reports in the press and investigations of the Tea Board are to be accepted, virtually sub-standard Vietnamese tea, below Indian PFA (Prevention of Food Adulteration Act)

NEW DELHI: Holding that tea could not be included in the category of foodstuff, the Supreme Court has termed it as 'a mere stimulant' and quashed provisions of a 26-year-old Tamil Nadu government order declaring tea as an essential foodstuff commodity. A bench comprising justices RC Lahoti and Ashok Bhan said that as the central government in '72 had delegated power to the state government to issue orders under the Essential Commodities Act, 1952, tea could not be included as the delegation was for the specific purpose of foodstuffs.

VIJAYAWADA: Launching BJP's poll campaign here by inaugurating a tea stall, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu , who tasted the beverage for the first time, today criticised Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar over his 'tea vendor' remark against Narendra Modi . Naidu inaugurated the tea stall in Gandhinagar area in the heart of the city, after which he had a cup of tea there. "I tasted tea for the first time in my life. I had never had it, as my elders always taught me that tea spoilt the health," Naidu said.

KOLKATA: Balmer Lawrie and Co Ltd on Tuesday said it plans to hive-off its tea blending unit in the UK after it turned economically unviable, even as the company is looking at acquiring a logistics company. "We plan to sell off the tea blending unit and looking at acquiring a logistics company," Balmer Lawrie managing director S K Mukherjee today said after the company's AGM. "We have hired SBI Capital Markets to advise on sale of the asset," he added. The company expects to complete the process to sell the tea blending unit by October.

NEW DELHI: India were 158 for three at tea in their first innings on the opening day of the third cricket Test against Australia here on Wednesday. Brief Score: India 1st innings: 158/3 in 52 overs (Gautam Gambhir 68 batting, Sachin Tendulkar 69, Brett Lee 1/43, Mitchell Johnson 2/44).

MELBOURNE: Electing to bat, Australia were 213 for three at tea on the first day of the first cricket Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground here on Wednesday. Matthew Hayden with 121 and Michael Clarke with 14 were the unbeaten batsmen at the break. Brief scores: Australia: 213 for three in 56 overs (M Hayden 121 batting, P Jacques 66; A Kumble 2-46, Z Khan 1-59).

NEW DELHI: The Centre has brought about some changes in the Tea (Marketing) Control Order (TMCO) 2003 in a bid to address the difficulties faced by the industry. TMCO was amended earlier this year. A specific clause has been incorporated in the Order empowering the registration authority to relax any of the provisions of the '03 Order with the prior approval of the Centre, to address any of the concerns of the industry. Manufacturers who produce hand-made tea have been excluded from the definition of the term 'manufacturer' and only those who make tea in factories will come within the purview of the order.